Vaporizing apparatus for liquefied gases



mg. w, 1948. J. w. MARTIN 4 VAPQRIZING APPARATUS FOR LIQUEFIED GASES Filed Aug. 6, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jfi/WES WOUDWARQ MART/IV,

Aug. w, N48. J. w. MARTIN 2,445,941

VAPQRIZING APPARATUS FOR LI QUE FIED GASES Filed Aug. 6, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 HEA 7' CHAMBER.

JAMES WQODWARD MART/IV,

Patented Aug. 10, 1948 VAPORIZING APPARATUS FOR LIQU'EFIED GASES James Woodward Martin. Dallas, Tex.,-alaig'nor to Lone Star Gas Company, Dallas, Tex.

% Application August a, 1m, Serial No. 688,767

'5 Claims. (01. 62-1) 1 This invention relatesto vaporizing apparatus,

and especially to a vaporizer adapted to vaporize liquefied hydrocarbon gases such as propane, bu-

for greater economy of construction and greater thermal efiiciency.

A further object of the invention is to collect the condensed water of formation or a portion thereof from the heating chamber of the vaporizer and to convert such water into steam by the heat from the hot gas stack so that the rising steam will deliver its heat to the bottom oi. the

storage tank.

Other objects will appear as I proceed with a detailed description of the particular embodiment of the invention which for the purpose of illustration, I have shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view, partly in elevation, of an embodiment of the invention shown in connection with a liquefied gas storage tank, and means for heating the latter; such tank and means being only partially shown.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, 4 designates the bottom portion of a tank or receptacle for the storage of liquefied hydrocarbon gases. Vapors from such gases are discharged from the upper portion of the tank through a pipe 5 in which a control valve 6 is interposed. In my previous Patent No. 2,408,084, the pipe 5 led directly to the regulator I, but in accordance with the Patent 2,319,819, the pipe leads, as best shown in Fig. 3. r

tion of the outer tube I l to a similar portion of an outer tube I4 of the discharge leg of the preheater. This outer tube also has closed ends, as indicated at is and i6, and gases are discharged from the tube l4 by means of an inner discharge tube ll having one of its ends located near the closed end I5 01 the tube l4. Tube l'l leads to the regulator I and may have a branch pipe [8 provided with a pressure gauge l9 and a removable cap 20. After the gas passes through the regulator, it enters a service line 2| provided with a service safety relief valve 22 and a service cock 23.

In accordance with my prior inventions, a tube of U-shaped cross-section, indicated at 24 in the drawings of the present application, extends along the bottom of the tank for use in heating the latter. This tube has a top portion 25 which, together with the bottom of the tank, forms a heat chamber 26. The top portion 25 and bottom portion 21 of the tube form a flue 28 through which air may be introduced into a burner compartment or box 29 and be preheated on its 'way by hot gases of combustion travelling through the chamber 28. Gas, after travelling through the regulator, can flow to the heat-supplying burner 30 arranged in the compartment 29. This is accomplished by a valved branch 3| leading from the service pipe to a T 32 that has an upwardly extending branch connected to one end of a conduit 33. The other end of the conduit is connected to a pressurestat 34 through which the gas passes on its way to the burner line 35. At this point it will be noted that the pressurestat is connected by a branch 36 to the gas conducting pipe 5 so that the pressure of the vapor leaving the storage tank may be used to control the pressurestat. Obviously, a thermostat could be substituted for the pressurestat so that the heat of the liquid or vapor in the storage tank could be employed to control the flow of the gas to the main burner 30. A pilot burner 31 is connected by a tube 38 to one end of the T 32, and an electric ignition device 39 may be employed to ignite the pilot burner. Hot gases of combustion from both burners are discharged through an elbow-. shaped stack or flue 40 into the heat chamber 26, and such stack may be welded directly to the bottom of the tank, as indicated at 4|. It will be noted that its upper portion extends between the legs of the preheater 9, and it is manifest that the preheater can be directly secured to the stack, if desired, so that heat from the stack will be directly transmitted to the metal forming the preheater.

In keeping with the present invention, the stack 40 is surrounded by a receptacle 42 for the collection of water. Such water is water of formation that condenses on the bottom 4a of the tank and drops down to the bottom 26a of the heat chamber 28, from which it flows through the port 44 in the bottom of the heat chamber, into the combustion, heats said water of formation in the receptacle, causing it to vaporize, and the resulting steam rises around the stack, passing through the port 44 into the heat chamber. The

heat of the steam is delivered to the cold surface of the tank at 4a where the steam condenses and returns to said receptacle in the same manner as above described for the water of formation. This cycle continues as long as gas is burning at the burner and/or pilot. A drain 45 is provided to drain off the excess moisture,

The bottom of the receptacle 42 may be attached to the stack itself by any suitable means, such as welding, and the top of the stack may be secured to the bottom of the tank by any desired means, welding, for example, so as to maintain the stack with the receptacle attached to it, in a fixed position with respect to the port 44 in the bottom 26a of the heat chamber.

From the above, it is believed my improvements over what is disclosed in my prior application and patent may be readily understood, and it is manifest that changes may be made in the details disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention, as expressed in the following claims:

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Heating apparatus comprising a tank to contain a medium to be heated, a casing at the lower side of said tank including a burner box and an elongated heat chamber above said burner box, said heat chamber extending along the tank so that the latter may be heated from the heat chamber, a flue establishing communication between said burner box and said heat chamber, said flue including a leg extending into said burner box and terminating in an inlet and a portion extending into said heat chamber and terminating in an outlet, means for admitting air into said burner box, a burner in said burner box aligned with said leg of said flue, whereby products of combustion pass directly from said burner into said inlet of said flue, a receptacle in the burner box surrounding the flue and adapted to be heated by hot gases passing therethrough, and means whereby water condensed in the heat chamber may gravitate therefrom into said receptacle.

2. Heating apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the top of the receptacle contacts the bottom of the heat chamber and the bottom of the receptacle contacts the flue.

3. Heating apparatus comprising a tank to contain a medium to be heated, a casing at the lower side of said tank including'a burner box and an elongated heat chamber above said burner box, said heat chamber extending along the tank so that the latter may be heated from the heat chamber, a flue establishing communication between said burner box and said heat chamber, said flue including a leg extending into said burner box and terminating in an inlet and a portion extending into said heat chamber and terminating in-an outlet, means for admitting air into said burner box, a burner in said burner box aligned with said leg of said flue, whereby products of combustion pass directly from said burner into said inlet of said flue, a receptacle in the burner box surrounding the flue and adapted to be heated by hot gases passing therethrough, and means whereby water condensed in the heat chamber may gravitate therefrom into said receptacle, said means being constructed and arranged to permit steam from the receptacle to pass into the heat chamber.

4. Heating apparatus comprising a tank to contain a medium to be heated, a. casing at the lower side of said tank including a burner box and an elongated heat chamber above said burner box, said heat chamber extending along the tank so that the latter may be heated from the heat chamber, a flue establishing communication between said burner box and said heat chamber, said flue including a leg extending into said burner box and terminating in an inlet and a portion extending into said heat chamber and terminatingin an outlet, means for admitting air into said burner box, a burner in said burner box aligned with said leg of said flue, whereby products of combustion pass directly from said burner into said inlet of said flue, a receptacle in the burner box surrounding the flue and adapted to be heated by hot gases passing therethrough, means whereby water condensed in the heat chamber may gravitate therefrom into said receptacle, and a drain connected to the receptacle to permit overflow of water from the receptacle when the water reaches a predetermined height therein.

5. In vaporizing means, a storage container for liquefied gas, a heat chamber for use in heating the container from the exterior thereof, burner means below the heat chamber, a flue for leading gases of combustion from the burner means to the heat chamber, a receptacle surrounding the flue and heated by gases of combustion passing through the flue, and means establishing communication between the receptacle and heat chamber whereby condensate from the heat chamber may flow into the receptacle and steam from the receptacle may pass into the heat chamber.

JAMES WOODWARD MARTIN. 

